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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. clip — to cut
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chair — a leader
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. swing — music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. track — a path
  11. clip — a video
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rush — hurry
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. swing — to play on
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. track — a song
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chair — a professorship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com